Independently controllable multi-output insulation blowing machine

ABSTRACT

A single machine ( 20 ) for blowing insulation into cavities of buildings and methods of using the machine to deliver insulation are provided. The single machine includes at least one engine ( 100 ), a hopper assembly ( 74 ), two feeding assemblies ( 36, 40 ) each operably connected to an output hose ( 76, 80 ), two air blowing assemblies ( 84, 88 ) each connected to feeder assemblies. The single machine can independently and simultaneously deliver insulation through multiple output hoses to same cavity of different cavities.

This application claims the benefit of Provisional application Ser. No.60/147,957, filed Aug. 9, 1999.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a single apparatus having multipleoutputs that are independently controllable for delivering insulation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The benefits of adding insulation into areas or cavities of a building,particularly homes, are well recognized. Typically, insulation is blowninto walls, attics and other cavities with a single output machinehaving one output hose as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.4,111,493 issued Sep. 5, 1978 and entitled “Feeding Apparatus for aPneumatic Conveying System,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,696 issued Jul. 15,1997 and entitled “Loose Material Combining and Depositing Apparatus.”The machine is usually transported in a truck to a work site. Oncethere, an installer must move the machine around the building to reachall the cavities to be insulated. This process, however, can betime-consuming and not as productive as may be desirable. Therefore, itwould be advantageous to have a single apparatus capable of deliveringinsulation simultaneously to multiple areas at the same work site orcapable of substantially increasing the amount of insulation deliveredto the same area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and a single machine for blowinginsulation into cavities of buildings, such as behind walls and inattics of homes. The single machine is capable of delivering insulationthrough multiple hoses operably connected to independently controllablefeeder and air blowing assemblies. Although the machine of the presentinvention is transportable in one truck similar to single output hosemachines, it is capable of delivering at least twice as much insulationor the same amount of insulation at significantly greater speed comparedto machines having a single output hose.

The single machine of the present invention includes at least oneengine, a hopper assembly, at least two feeding assemblies each havingan output connected to an output hose, at least two air blowingassemblies each operably connected to a feeder assembly, and connectiondevices for operatively connecting one or more engines to the feedingassemblies and the air blowing assemblies. Thus, the single machine iscapable of independently and simultaneously delivering insulationthrough multiple output hoses. For example, a first worker can positionor maneuver the first hose to fill a wall section or attic cavity withinsulation, while a second worker can position the second hose for usein filling another section of the same wall, a section of another wallor different portions of the attic at the same time the first worker isusing the first hose. Therefore, installing the insulation can be donein about half the time compared to single output hose machines.Alternatively, an installer can deliver at least twice as muchinsulation to one area by directing the multiple output hoses to thesame area using the single machine of the present invention. This can beachieve, for example, by connecting the multiple output hoses to asingle larger hose.

The hopper assembly is preferably larger than those of a single outputhose machine since more insulation can be installed using the machine ofthe present invention. In one embodiment, the hopper assembly includes afirst and second hoppers that are in immediate communication with eachother and, preferably in a vertical arrangement. Each hopper can alsoinclude an auger that moves the insulation material toward the feedingassemblies.

The machines includes at least a first and second feeding assembliesseparated by a common wall or otherwise located separately from eachother. The feeding assemblies have their own inlets that are incommunication with the hopper assembly, preferably with the lower hopperif one exists. The inlets receive the insulation material simultaneouslyif the feeding assemblies are activated (i.e., operating at the sametime). Each of the feeding assemblies contain a number of mechanismsthat are arranged vertically to facilitate the downward movement of theinsulation material toward its respective outlet, which is locatedtoward the bottom of the feeding assembly. Each outlet is then connectedto an output hose that can be directed to a particular area to beinsulated.

To force the insulation out of the output hoses, each feeding assemblyis connected to an air blowing assembly that outputs a force of air orpressurized air through an air hose to an inlet of the feeding assembly.When the feeding and air blowing assemblies are activated, theinsulation material is blown through the respective output hoses to theareas or cavities to be insulated.

The single machine is operated by at least one engine and a number ofconnection devices that interconnect and operate the major components ofthe machine. For example, the machine can be operated by a singlemachine having two output shafts that operate the feeding and airblowing assemblies, as well as the augers in the hoppers, throughassociated clutch devices, pulleys and belts. Alternatively, two or moreengines can be used to operate the moving components of the machine.

Each feeding assembly can be independently operated relative to anyother feeding assembly. This independent functioning and operation isachieved, in part, by using a disengage mechanism associated with eachfeeding assembly. The disengage mechanism operates to disconnect itsassociated feeding assembly from the hopper drive assembly. Althoughdisconnected from one feeding assembly, the hopper drive assembly,nevertheless, continues to be driven by any other activated feedingassembly. Consequently, each feeding assembly is independentlyfunctional of any other feeding assembly so that insulation can beinstalled using less than all the available output hoses if desired.

The machine also includes various power and control elements, includinga battery, that provide electrical power for the machine. A number ofcontrol elements are also included through a system of switch controlunits that control the air blowing assemblies and the rotationalmovement of various shafts used to operate the augers and othercomponents that drive the movement of the insulation material.

The present invention further provides methods for delivering insulationusing the single machine of the present invention. The methods aregenerally accomplished by:

(a) providing a single machine as described above;

(b) connecting a hose to the output of each feeding assembly to beactivated;

(c) loading insulation material into the hopper assembly;

(d) powering at least one engine;

(e) activating any desired air blowing assembly and correspondingfeeding assembly; and

(f) installing insulation using the output of each activated feedingassembly.

Installing insulation to different areas of a building can be conductedby different workers simultaneously. Alternatively, a disengagemechanism operatively connected to a feeding assembly can be used todeactivate the feeding assembly by disconnecting the feeding assemblyfrom the hopper drive assembly. In this regard, an air blowing assemblyand its corresponding feeding assembly can be deactivated whilemaintaining activation of one or more of the other air blowingassemblies and the corresponding feeding assemblies. Alternatively, oneworker can install insulation into the same cavity using both insulationoutputs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the machine showing the upper and lower augerslocated in the upper and lower hoppers;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the major components of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the machine showing the insulation outputs andthe shafts of the feeding assemblies;

FIG. 5 is a cut-away section of FIG. 4 showing the first and secondfeeding assemblies, the insulation inlets, the common wall, and theinlets for the first and second air hoses;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the machine taken from the opposite sideof FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the machine from its band end; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the machine of FIG. 1 with its upperparts cutaway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to blowing insulation into areas orcavities of a building, such as a home. The present invention is asingle machine that has two or more outputs from which insulationmaterial is delivered under air pressure to hoses that are connected tothe outputs. The single machine having multiple outputs is readilytransported to the work site and its size is substantially comparable tothe size of a machine having a single output for blowing insulation.

With reference to FIG. 1, the single machine 20 includes a hopperassembly 24 that receives and contains insulation material that is to beblown into the sections of the building that are being insulated.Preferably, the hopper assembly 24 has greater dimensions and size thana single output machine since more insulation material can be handled orblown into the building cavities because two output hoses are beingutilized. In one embodiment, the hopper assembly 24 can be defined asincluding an upper or first hopper 28 and lower or second hopper 32 thatis in immediate communication with the upper hopper 28, while beinglocated vertically below it. In one embodiment best shown in FIG. 2, theupper hopper 28 includes a first auger 38 and the lower hopper 32includes a second auger 42. The first and second augers 38, 42 aredriven to rotate and carry insulation material along a path thateventually leads to outputting the insulation material.

With regard to movement of the insulation from the hopper assembly 24,the single machine includes a first feeding assembly 36 and a secondfeeding assembly 40 best seen in FIG. 5. Preferably, a common wall 44can be positioned between the two feeding assemblies 36, 40, althoughthey could be located separately from each other, e.g., at opposite endson the machine 20. The first feeding assembly 36 has a first inlet 48and the second feeding assembly 40 has a second inlet 52. Each of thesefirst and second inlets 48, 52 is in communication with the bottom ofthe lower hopper 32. Consequently, as the fist and second augers 38, 42move the insulation material towards the end portion of the hopperassembly 24 having the first and second feeding assemblies 36, 40located there below, these two inlets 48, 52 receive insulation materialat the same time, particularly when the first and second feedingassemblies 36, 40 are activated or being operated. In one embodiment,the components and arrangement thereof for the second feeding assembly40 is the same as that of the first feeding assembly 36. Consequently, amore detailed description will be provided regarding the first feedingassembly 36, with the understanding that such description also appliesto the second feeding assembly 40. In an exemplary embodiment, the firstfeeding assembly 36 includes a number of conveying or moving mechanisms,such as one or more tines, that are arranged vertically relative to eachother and each of which has a movable shaft. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,the first feeding assembly 36 has three moving mechanisms with shafts 56a, 56 b, 56 c. As insulation material is moved and positioned beneaththe first feeding assembly 36, the moving mechanisms thereof, whenrotated cause or facilitate downward movement of the insulationmaterial. Similarly, the second feeding assembly 40 has the same numberof moving mechanisms with shafts 60 a, 60 b, 60 c. For more informationconcerning the moving assemblies of the first and second feedingassemblies 36, 40, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,696 issuedJul. 15, 1997, “Loose Material Combining And Depositing Apparatus” andU.S. Pat. No. 4,111,493 issued Sep. 5, 1978, “Feeding Apparatus For APneumatic Conveyance System”, both of which are assigned to the sameinventor as the present application.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first feeding assembly 36 has a first output 66and the second feeding assembly 40 has a second output 70. These arelocated adjacent to bottoms of the first and second feeding assemblies36, 40, respectively. With reference to FIG. 6, the first output 66 isconnected to a first output hose 76 and the second output 70 isconnected to a second output hose 80. As an example, when the singlemachine 20 is being operated or used by two workers, the first andsecond output hoses 76, 80 can carry the insulation material todifferent parts of the building that is being insulated. In conjunctionwith moving the insulation from the first and second feeding assemblies36, 40 through the first and second hoses 76, 80, respectively, thesingle machine also includes a first air blowing assembly 84 and asecond air blowing assembly 88, which are depicted in the block diagramof FIG. 3. The first and second air blowing assemblies 84, 88 eachoutput a force of air or pressurized air that is carried to the firstfeeding assembly 36 and second feeding assembly 40, respectively. Thatis, the first air hose 92 carries the pressurized air to an inlet 90 ofthe first feeding assembly 36, while the second air hose 96 carries thepressurized air to an inlet 98 of the second feeding assembly 40, withthese inlets 90, 98 being illustrated in FIG. 5. When the first andsecond air blowing assemblies 84, 88 are providing pressurized air andthe first and second feeding assemblies 36, 40 are activated and arereceiving and carrying insulation material, the insulation material isblown through the respective first and second output hoses 76, 80 to theareas or cavities being filled with insulation.

With respect to operating the machine 20 and referring to the blockdiagram or diagrammatic representation of FIG. 3, it includes an engine100 and a number of connection parts used in interconnecting and inoperations associated with the major components of the machine 20. Inthe exemplary embodiment, the engine 100 is a single engine having afirst output shaft 110 and a second output shaft 114. It should beappreciated that, instead of a single engine, two engines could beprovided, with each having its own separate output shaft. As seen inFIG. 3, the first output shaft 110 is connected to an engine firstpulley 120. A first output shaft belt 124 is operably associated withthe first output shaft 110 and the engine first pulley 120.Interconnected to the engine first pulley 120 is a second air blowingpulley 128, which has a belt 132 associated therewith. The second airblowing belt 132 is operably connected to the second air blowingassembly 88 and provides a rotational input for its operation. Theengine first pulley 120 is also operably connected to a first main shaft140 that extends in a direction along the length of the engine 100 to afirst clutch device 144, which selectively operably interacts with afirst feeding assembly pulley 148 through the linkage including a firstfeeding assembly belt 152. The first feeding assembly pulley 148 isconnected to a first input shaft 156 that is engaged with a firstfeeding assembly drive mechanism 160. Hence, engine power is selectivelysupplied using these components to the first feeding assembly drivemechanism 160 rotating or causing movement of the moving or conveyingassemblies thereof.

Returning to the second output shaft 114 of the engine 100, it isconnected to an engine second pulley 170 using a second output shaftbelt 174. The engine second pulley 170 is joined to a fist air blowingpulley 180 using a second main shaft 188. The first air blowing pulley180 is operably connected to the first air blowing assembly 84 by meansof a first air blowing belt 192. The rotational movement of the firstair blowing belt 192, by being coupled to the first air blowing assembly84, functions to operate the first air blowing assembly 84 in connectionwith its output of pressurized air to the first feeding assembly 36. Thesecond main shaft 188 exits the first air blowing pulley 180 and iscoupled to a second clutch device 200 that is used in selectivelycoupling the rotational movement of the second main shaft 188 to asecond feeding assembly pulley 204 by means of a second feeding assemblybelt 208. The second feeding assembly pulley 204 is joined to a secondinput shaft 212 that is operably interconnected with a second feedingassembly drive mechanism 216. Consequently, when activated, the secondfeeding assembly drive mechanism 216 causes rotational movement of themoving or conveying mechanisms of the second feeding assembly therebycausing or facilitating movement of the insulation material in adownward direction towards the second output 70.

A key aspect of the single machine 20 involves the ability tosimultaneously fill different areas or cavities of a building withinsulation using, for example, two different output hoses 76, 80 thatare positioned and operated by two different workers. Alternatively,insulation can be installed in one cavity using one of the two outputhoses 76, 80, while the other of the two output hoses 76, 80 is notbeing utilized. Alternatively, the first and second outputs 66, 70 (orthe first and second output hoses 76, 80) could be joined to a commonhose or connector whereby both insulation outputs are provided to thesame area by one installer, which effectively doubles the amount ofinsulation being provided by a single worker, in comparison with onlyone output 66 or 70 being utilized.

In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated by the block diagram of FIG.3, this independent functioning and operation is achievable, in part,using a first disengage mechanism 230, such as a sprag, associated withand connected to the first feeding assembly 36 and a second disengagemechanism 240 associated with and connected to the second feedingassembly 40. Each of these two disengage mechanisms 230, 240 functionsto disengage its respective feeding assembly 36, 40 from a hopper driveassembly 244 (FIG. 4) when such feeding assemblies 36, 40 are notactivated or being used. With reference to the first feeding assembly 36and with the understanding that the second feeding assembly 40 works ina comparable way, the first disengage mechanism 230 functions to cause adisengagement from the hopper drive assembly 244 when the third outputshaft 56 c of the first feeding assembly 36 is no longer rotating due todeactivation of the first feeding assembly 36. As a result, the firstdisengage mechanism 230 effectively disconnects or disengages the firstfeeding assembly 36 from the hopper drive assembly 244. Thus, when oneof the two feeding assemblies 36, 40 is being operated, while the otherfeeding assembly 36, 40 has ceased operation, the hopper drive assembly244 continues to move or operate thereby causing movement, in theillustrated embodiment, of both the first and second augers 38, 42 ofthe upper and lower hoppers 28, 32, respectively. For example, with thehopper drive assembly 244 being disengaged from the first feedingassembly 36 by means of the first disengage mechanism 230, the hopperdrive assembly 244 continues to be driven by the second feeding assembly40 since it remains activated in this example. Furthermore, due to thedisengagement, there is no binding or other interference due to thede-activation or stopping of the first feeding assembly 36. Similarly,when the second feeding assembly 40 is not being used, it is disengagedfrom the hopper drive assembly 244 by the second disengage mechanism240; however, the hopper drive assembly 244 can continue to be drivenusing the first feeding assembly 40 when it is still being used.

The block diagram of FIG. 3. also illustrates certain power and/orcontrol elements including a battery 250 that provides electrical powerfor the machine 20 including the engine 100. A number of control units260, 270, 280, 290 are also depicted in operative association withcomponents of the machine 20, which are involved in controlling thesupplying of insulation to the cavity or cavities being filled at anyinstant in time through the first and second output hoses 76, 80. Inparticular, the first switch control unit 260 is operably associatedwith the first air blowing assembly 84 in connection with allowingdelivery of pressurized air through the first air hose 92 to the firstfeeding assembly 36. When the first switch control unit 260 is turned onor activated, such pressurized air is being provided to the firstfeeding assembly 36. Conversely, no such pressurized air is received bythe first feeding assembly 36 when the first switch control unit 260 isturned off. The second switch control unit 270 is operably associatedwith the first clutch device 144. When the second switch control unit isturned on by the operator, the first clutch device 144 enablesrotational movement of the first main shaft 140 to be coupled throughthe previously noted connection devices or components to the firstfeeding assembly drive mechanism 160 whereby the conveying mechanismsthereof operate or move in connection with the downward movement ofinsulation material. When the second switch control unit 270 is turnedoff, such mechanisms do not rotate. The third switch control unit 280 isoperatively associated with the second air blowing assembly 88 andfunctions like the first switch control unit 260. Similarly, the fourthswitch control unit 290 is operatively associated with the second clutchdevice 200 and functions like the first clutch device 144 but inconnection with the second feeding assembly 40.

In accordance with a usual manner of operation, the operator(s) orworker(s) start the engine 100 and activate or turn on each of the fourswitch control units 260-290 after the hopper assembly 24 has beensufficiently filled with insulation material. Such activation results ina number of operations and movement of parts including the hopper driveassembly 244 causing movement of the first and second augers 38, 42 ofthe upper and lower hoppers 28, 32, respectively. This results inmovement of the insulation material through the common opening at thebottom of the lower hopper 32 into each of the first and second feedingassemblies 36, 40 through their respective inlets 48, 52. Because theyhave also been turned on, the first and second air blowing assemblies84, 88 deliver pressurized air to their respective first and secondfeeding assemblies 36, 40. As the tines or other conveying mechanisms inthe feeding assemblies 36, 40 assist or facilitate movement of theinsulation material downwardly and towards the first and second outputs66, 70 of the first and second feeding assemblies 36, 40, thepressurized air from the two air blowing assemblies 84, 88 push theinsulation into the first and second outputs 66, 70 and through thefirst and second output hoses 76, 80. The workers holding the hoses 76,80 can have them positioned in two different cavities so that insulationmaterial is delivered to the two different cavities at the same timewhen this dual operation is being provided.

Alternatively, only one of the two output hoses 76, 80 can supplyinsulation material at any instance in time, while operation using theother of the two output hoses 76, 80 is stopped. Assuming that the thirdand fourth switch control units 280, 290 have been deactivated or turnedoff the second disengage mechanism 240 operates to effectivelyoperatively disassociate the second feeding assembly 40 from the hopperdrive assembly 244. Consequently, the stoppage of the output shafts 60a, 60 b, 60 cof the second feeding assembly 40 do not negatively impactthe functioning of the hopper drive assembly 244. The hopper driveassembly 244 continues to operate or drive the first and second augers38, 42 by means of its connection to one or more of the first feedingoutput shafts 56 a, 56 b, 56 c, such as the first feeding output shaft56 cas shown in FIG. 4.

Additionally, the second clutch device 200 is used in decouplingrotational movement of the second main shaft 188 to the second feedingassembly drive mechanism 216 so that the conveying mechanisms of thesecond feeding assembly 40 do not move or stop rotational operation. Thesecond air blowing assembly 88, due to the turning off of the thirdswitch control unit 280, is not delivering pressurized air to the secondfeeding assembly 40. Conversely, because the first of second switchcontrol units 260, 270 remain activated, pressurized air is beingdelivered to the first feeding assembly 36 by means of the first airblowing assembly 84 and the first clutch device 144 couples rotationalmovement of the first main shaft 140 to the first feeding assembly 36thereby causing movement of the conveying mechanisms thereof.

With regard to maintaining a desired size of the single machine 20, thevarious components are arranged to optimize space usage and provide thenecessary interconnections. In the exemplary embodiment, the singleengine 100 is utilized having the first and second air blowingassemblies 84, 88 are immediately next to each other and their lengthsextend along a side of the machine 20, i.e. as the length of one airblowing assembly 84, 88 ends, the length of the other begins. The firstand second feeding assemblies 36, 40 are immediately adjacent to eachother at one end of the machine 20. The first and second output hoses76, 80 extend from their respective feeding assemblies 36, 40 at one endof the machine 20. On the other hand, the present invention contemplatesdifferent implementations including more than two output hoses and acomparable number of feeding assemblies and/or air blowing assemblies. Anumber of engines could be employed, with each having one shaft.Currently existing single output hose machines could be modified toprovide the multiple output hose operation. In that regard, the hopperassembly of such a single machine could be modified by enlarging itssize to accommodate the operation in which the same single machine isbeing used by more than one worker to supply insulation to more than onecavity at the same time. While the devices and methods described hereinconstitute the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments andthat changes can be made without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling the blowing ofinsulation into different areas of a building that is being insulated,comprising: providing a single machine that includes: at least a firstengine, a hopper assembly, first and second air blowing assemblies,first and second feeding assemblies, with said first feeding assemblyhaving a first output and said second feeding assembly having a secondoutput; connecting a first hose to said first output; connecting asecond hose to said second output; loading insulation material into saidhopper assembly; powering said first engine; activating said firstblowing assembly, said first feeding assembly and said second blowingassembly, said second feeding assembly; and manually installinginsulation from at least said first output.
 2. A method, as claimed inclaim 1, wherein: said installation step includes manually installinginsulation from said second output.
 3. A method, as claimed in claim 1,wherein: said installing step includes installing insulation in a firstarea of the building using said first hose and the method furtherincludes installing insulation in a second area of the building usingsaid second hose.
 4. A method, as claimed in claim 3, wherein: saidsteps of installing insulation in the first and second areas areconducted at the same time.
 5. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:said single machine includes a hopper drive assembly for use in causingmovement of insulation material in said hopper assembly and a firstdisengage mechanism operatively connected to portions of said firstfeeding assembly and in which the method further includes deactivatingsaid first feeding assembly and with said deactivating step resulting insaid first disengage mechanism causing said hopper drive assembly to bedisengaged from said first feeding assembly such that said first feedingassembly does not cause movement of said hopper drive assembly.
 6. Amethod, as claimed in claim 1, further including: deactivating saidsecond air blowing assembly and said second feeding assembly whilemaintaining activation of said first air blowing assembly and said firstfeeding assembly.
 7. A method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: saidfirst feeding assembly includes at least a first moving mechanism andsaid hopper assembly includes at least a first hopper auger and themethod further includes discontinuing movement of said first movingmechanism of said first feeding assembly while continuing movement ofsaid first auger of said first hopper assembly.
 8. A method, as claimedin claim 1, wherein: said single machine includes a hopper driveassembly and said hopper assembly includes at least a first auger, withsaid hopper drive assembly operatively interconnected to said firstfeeding assembly and said first auger, and the method includesdisengaging said first feeding assembly from said hopper drive assemblysuch that said hopper drive assembly continues to cause movement of saidfirst auger.
 9. A single insulation blowing machine, comprising: ahopper assembly; a first feeder assembly having a first output; a secondfeeder assembly having a second output; a hopper drive assembly operablyconnected to said hopper assembly, said first feeder assembly and saidsecond feeder assembly; a first air blowing assembly operably associatedwith said first feeder assembly; a second air blowing assembly operablyassociated with said second feeder assembly; at least a first enginethat is used in powering said first and second feeder assemblies andsaid first and second air blowing assemblies; connection devices foroperatively connecting said first engine to at least said first feedingassembly and said first air blowing assembly; a first output hoseconnected to said first feeding assembly; and a second output hoseconnected to said second feeding assembly; wherein said first outputhose supplies insulation material for insulating a first area of abuilding and said second output hose supplies insulation material forinsulating a second area of the building at the same time said firstoutput hose is supplying insulation material to the building first area.10. A single machine, as claimed in claim 9, wherein: said first engineis a single engine having first and second output shafts in which saidsingle engine provides power for operating said second feeding assemblywhen said first feeding assembly is deactivated.
 11. A single machine,as claimed in claim 9, wherein: said connection devices include a firstdisengage mechanism and said hopper assembly includes a least a firstauger, said first disengage mechanism being connected to said firstfeeding assembly and said hopper drive assembly and with said hopperdrive assembly also connected to said first auger and in which, whensaid first feeding assembly is deactivated, said first auger is causedto move using said second feeding assembly and said hopper driveassembly.
 12. A single machine, as claimed in claim 11, wherein: saidfirst feeding assembly includes an output shaft and said first disengagemechanism is located adjacent thereto.
 13. A single machine, as claimedin claim 9, wherein: said first engine includes a first output shaft andsaid connection devices include a first output shaft belt and an enginefirst pulley in operative engagement, and with said engine first pulleyconnected to a first main shaft for use in operating said first feedingassembly, with a second air blowing pulley connected to said enginefirst pulley and a second air blowing belt in operative engagement withsaid second air blowing assembly for use in causing said second airblowing assembly to output pressurized air.
 14. A single engine, asclaimed in claim 13, wherein: said engine includes a second output shaftand said connection devices include a second output shaft belt and anengine second pulley in operative engagement, and with a second mainshaft interconnecting said engine second pulley and a first air blowingpulley, said first air blowing pulley being operatively connected tosaid first air blowing assembly that outputs pressurized air to saidfirst feeding assembly.
 15. A single machine, as claimed in claim 9,wherein: said hopper assembly includes a first auger and a second auger,with said second auger being located below said first auger and beingsubstantially parallel thereto.
 16. A single machine, as claimed inclaim 15, wherein: said hopper assembly includes an upper hopper and alower hopper that contain said first auger and said second auger,respectively, and with said upper hopper having a length greater than alength of said lower hopper.
 17. A single machine, as claimed in claim9, wherein: said first and second feed assemblies include first andsecond inlets and with a common wall between said first and secondinlets, said hopper assembly having a common opening for passinginsulation material to first and second inlets.